Biden commutes life sentence of 80-year-old Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier Joe Biden

Joe Biden commuted the sentence of Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier for the 1975 murders of two FBI agents in South Dakota before handing power to Donald Trump on Monday. and was convicted.

Peltier, who has spent half a century in federal prison, is said to be in poor health and will not be eligible for parole until 2026 after being denied release last July.

Biden said in a White House statement that he was commuting Peltier's life sentence so that he could serve the remainder of his sentence at home.

“He is now 80 years old, has serious health ailments and has spent most of his life (nearly half a century) in prison. This commutation will allow Mr. Peltier to live out the remainder of his days at home, but There will be no pardon for his underlying crimes,” the statement read.

The commutation, which noted broad support for the Native American activist's conviction for killing two federal agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and escaping from federal prison, noted.

“Tribal nations, Nobel Peace Prize winners, former law enforcement officials (including the former U.S. attorney who oversaw Mr. Peltier’s prosecution and appeals), dozens of lawmakers and human rights groups strongly supported clemency for Mr. Peltier, The reasons were cited for his advanced age and illness, his close ties to and leadership of the Native American community, and the considerable time he had already spent in prison,” it read.

After Peltier's commutation was announced, he said in a statement: “It's finally over – I'm going home. I want to show the world that I am a good person with a good heart. I want to Help people, like my grandmother taught me.”

Peltier has maintained her innocence since her arrest in connection with the deaths and has been championed for decades by advocates including Coretta Scott King, Nelson Mandela and Pope Francis support, demanding his release.

James H. Reynolds, the U.S. attorney responsible for the prosecution and appeal of Peltier's case, issued a public apology, calling Peltier's prosecution and imprisonment “unjust” and calling for his immediate release.

Years of tensions over the issue of self-government on tribal lands erupted on June 26, 1975, when a shootout broke out between the FBI and members of the American Indian Movement (AIM), a Cold War-era liberation group.

Peltier is one of four men indicted on suspicion of murdering two agents. The all-white jury did not hear about underlying tensions between the two political factions on the Pine Ridge reservation, where witnesses claimed FBI agents threatened and coerced their testimony.

Prosecutors withheld ballistics evidence, including the fact that the Peltier rifle failed to match the shell casings found in the trunk of the FBI agent's car.

Peltier was found guilty of murder and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. One of his current lawyers, Kevin Sharp, recently told the Guardian there was misconduct both in the investigation and the prosecution.

Sharp said he was frustrated by “the system's refusal to acknowledge the government's role in the events of June 1975, its refusal to acknowledge the context of what happened, its refusal to acknowledge the rights violations that occurred.”

Previous attempts to pardon Peltier have failed, including by former President Bill Clinton after protests from FBI agents. Former FBI agent Colleen Rowley said the FBI harbored a “vendetta” against Peltier.

“Leonard Peltier's freedom today is the result of 50 years of intergenerational resistance, organizing and advocacy,” Nick Tilsen, founder of the Indigenous-led civil rights organization NDN Collective, said after the order.

Tilson added: “Leonard Peltier's liberation is our liberation – we will bring him back to his homeland to live out the rest of his life surrounded by his loved ones, healed of his wounds and connected to his land. Honor him by reconnecting with the culture.”